Detroit Red Wings: 3 players to watch during Prospect Tournament

The Detroit Red Wings are getting things prepped and ready in Traverse City as the calendar rolls into September. They announced the roster for Prospect Camp, and there’s a plethora of youngsters heading to training camp that should show up and show out.

The next wave of Detroit Red Wings talent will be in attendance. While it is not as crucial as things were a few years back, these players will work their way into the Red Wings lineup for years to come, looking to become key pieces of the puzzle as the team reloads and recharges year in and year out.

Between high-profile draftees and some shots in the dark, the Red Wings will have plenty of players showing up looking to prove themselves as the 2023-24 season continues to inch closer. There are a lot of exciting names on the Prospect Tournament roster.

While some of these players may be beneficial to the Red Wings NHL roster in 2023-24, others may not be making their debuts until later years. Heck, two of the players who are at camp have already made their respective NHL debuts.

Marco Kasper and Elmer Söderblom will take part in things up north as they tune up for this fall. Both players have already made their debuts in the National Hockey League (NHL), but a couple of other names could poke their way through to the Red Wings roster.

Beyond that, there are some youngsters who could play a significant role in the years to come. For Detroit fans, there will be plenty to watch.

Here are 3 Detroit Red Wings prospects to watch this month.

Detroit Red Wings prospect to watch #2: Carter Mazur

Another name that Detroit Red Wings fans have gotten used to hearing over the past calendar year or so is Carter Mazur. He’s a third-round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft who spent his college days with the University of Denver.

Mazur proved to be a stud in the NCHC, helping the Denver Pioneers piece together a couple of good seasons in each of the past two years before making the jump. For the Red Wings, there’s hope that Mazur can continue to produce as he moves through the ranks on his way to the Red Wings roster.

Mazur had quite the hot stick in 2022-23, piecing together a great season with Denver, playing in 40 games. He scored 22 goals and added 15 assists for 37 total points. He earned his entry-level contract and was able to make the jump from the NCHC.

He was able to log some of his first games with the Grand Rapids Griffins at the AHL level, too. Mazur played in six games with three goals and three assists for six points. The offense was flowing. Even in a minimal sample size, he showed flashes of what could be.

For the Red Wings faithful, they should be looking forward to this upcoming season. Getting things started well with a good performance at the Red Wings Prospect Tournament would be an excellent way to kick off 2023-24.

If the space opens up on the roster in 2023-24 and Mazur continues to put up numbers as he settles into the AHL level, the Red Wings could call upon him. That might be wishful thinking, considering he has all of six games under his belt in the minors, but time will tell.

Detroit Red Wings prospect to watch #3: Nate Danielson

One of the players that the Detroit Red Wings have heard plenty about but not seen yet is Nate Danielson. He was the player the Red Wings selected with the ninth overall draft pick during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

There’s plenty to like with the young forward who was the captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2022-23. He was even raved about by first-overall pick Connor Bedard as the toughest WHL player to play against.

Indeed some kind words from a player that is being compared to Connor McDavid as the league’s next generational talent. Danielson has a lot to offer in his own right, even if it’s not as flashy as Bedard or Adam Fantilli.

Danielson plays a complete game, excelling in both ends of the ice. It’s something that drew Detroit to him, and it’s something they expect to build upon moving forward. The goal is that they can make him into a truly complete player, one of the 200-foot players in the game.

While he’s got plenty of time ahead of him to develop and improve on his road to Detroit. But, this experience of playing in the Red Wings Prospect Tournament will be a good start to allow fans a chance to see what the youngster has to offer.

He’s coming off of the 2022-23 season, where he played in 68 games in the WHL. He scored 33 goals and added 45 assists for 78 total points on the Wheat Kings roster. He’s signed his entry-level contact, so a big performance at Prospect Camp could impact the path the Red Wings want him to take.

He’s got a bit of time until he suits up in a Red Wings uniform, but there’s a lot to like in his game, and the fans will get their first looks at Danielson this month.